Down and Dirty
by professor-fidget
Summary: Blaise is thunderstruck, but the girl of his dreams already has someone else so he enlists help from the most unexpected place to get her back.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: All main characters and settings are lovingly borrowed from J.K Rowling. However, this story takes place pre-Half Blood Prince and features and Italian Zabini and will not have any mention of the Dark Lord or any other such things. Thanks for reading. **

Blaise Zabini was enamored. Or, at least, he thought he was. He had been seated in one of the compartments in the back of the Hogwarts Express with a new transfer student named Nicola Contadino. She was from a Wizarding School in Italy but was transferring to Hogwarts for her Seventh and final year. She had strikingly dark eyes, so dark that it was hard to tell if they were blue or brown, full pouty lips, an olive complexion, and a very Italian – and very womanly - shape.

But it wasn't how pretty she was that had first captured Blaise's attention, there were lots of pretty girls at Hogwarts, it was the very fact that she was Italian. Blaise himself came from a very large Italian Family, and despite the fact they lived in Britain, they still spoke Italian at home. So it was a very nice change to have someone to speak to at school, someone who understood him when he spoke his family tongue.

He had spent the entire train ride to Hogwarts just talking with Nicola, which was a very unusual thing as Blaise usually hated to talk and avoided it whenever possible. But it was so nice talking to Nicola that the quiet Slytherin didn't mind how idiotic he sounded or looked.

They had talked about so much during that trip that it was hard to believe that they had only just met, and despite the fact that they were interrupted once on the train ride by Draco Malfoy and his cronies who had been complaining about Harry Potter; it had been a very pleasant trip.

Over the first week back at school he watched her get sorted into Gryffindor - which came as a bit of a surprise as she told him she had been sorted into the "bad" house at her old school. But Blaise quickly overcame his disappointment at not having her in the same house as him when he realized that they had a class together, Ancient Runes.

It wasn't until the second week back that Blaise realized his infatuation with Nicola may be one-sided. She walked into Ancient Runes, looking breathtakingly beautiful and took the seat next to him as always. She smile at him, and began to speak to him in Italian. They always spoke in Italian because it was nice to use their native tongue, and it was more fun as nobody in the school understood what they were saying.

"I am so happy," Nicola said straight away. And although the sentence was a good one, it left an ominous sinking feeling in Blaise's gut. "You will never believe what happened." She continued.

Blaise smiled slightly, and nodded indicating that she should continue, not wanting to speak just yet.

"I have a boyfriend!" She giggled after speaking and Blaise was dumbfounded. A boyfriend? Who?

"Who?" he whispered in Italian, not really wanting to say more than was absolutely necessary.

"Ron Weasley." Nicola replied, smiling brightly.

Blaise was saved from having to answer by the start of class, and he spent the entire hour staring blankly at the teacher, not really hearing anything that was being taught. Ron Weasley? That red-headed git? What the hell did a beautiful, intelligent girl like Nicola see in Ron-fucking-Weasley?

After class Blaise mumbled something unintelligible when Nicola asked him if he wanted to hang out with her seeing as how classes were over for the day. Not wanting to have to face an annoying group of students in the Slytherin common room, Blaise instead made his way down to the library where he knew he could brood in peace.

He walked and weaved through the many shelves of books until he found a large chair by the Ancient Runes Section. There was only one other chair in the area, and that one was unoccupied so Blaise figured he had found the perfect place to mope.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that he heard a muffled noise that sounded like someone crying. Blaise turned his head in the direction of the sound and was momentarily startled to see Hermione Granger emerging from between two shelves, her face covered in tears. He sat really still and she didn't notice him at first, throwing her overly stuffed bag onto the ground in front of him and then moving towards the chair he was seated in.

"Granger," he acknowledged, smirking slightly at the ever-brave Gryffindor who was bawling her eyes out in the middle of the library.

Her entire body jerked at the sound of her name and she stared at him in complete shock, the tears still making there way down her face.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my chair?" She snarled, obviously not in the mood to play nice with a Slytherin in her current condition.

Blaise's eyes narrowed. Of course she didn't know who he was. He'd only been in most of her classes for the last four years, sitting behind her in Arithmacy for the last three. "Blaise Zabini," he said coolly, annoyed at the way she had obviously ignored his existence for the last seven years. Zabini's were quiet intentionally, but that didn't mean they wished to be ignored.

"Oh, right, of course." Hermione sputtered, wiping her face and taking a deep breath. She spoke more calmly this time. "Now, what are you doing in my chair?" She looked him directly in the eye and he knew that was why she was in Gryffindor. Here she was, vulnerable and obviously upset, and here he was, a Slytherin who – based entirely on reputation, not on fact – would jump at the chance to put her down, and she was facing him strongly, grudgingly admiring the fact that she was staring at him acting as if she was not about to fall apart. He thought to himself that he might've liked her if she wasn't everything he hated. And she hadn't known his name.

"I'm sorry," he drawled, not in the least bit remorseful, and smirked at her. "I must've missed where you wrote your name on the chair in my haste to sit down. Dreadfully sorry." He didn't move and she stared at him, glaring.

"Are you going to move?" She asked, and he could tell that she knew exactly how he would answer.

"No."

She arched an eyebrow at him and Blaise smirked again. Finally, with a huff, she turned and did the last thing he expected her to do. She sat down in the chair across from him.

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly, crossing his arms across his chest, wary in case she decided to hex him. Hermione Granger was the smartest witch in Hogwarts and he did not want to be on the receiving end of her anger. He'd heard enough from Malfoy to know that was not the place to be.

"Sitting," she replied, leaning over and grabbing her bag, pulling it towards her and taking a book out.

"Why?"

"Because."

"But I'm sitting here."

"If it bothers you so much than you can leave."

It struck him then and he laughed. Granger was trying to annoy him into leaving, giving up _her_ chair in the process. If she thought she could out maneuver a Slytherin than she was sorely mistaken. He caught the hint of a smile that she hid behind her book as he leaned forward to grab his own bag. It quickly faded when she realized that he wasn't going anywhere.

They sat like that for forty-five minutes. Both students pretending to read as their thoughts drifted to more important matters. Blaise didn't know what it was Hermione was thinking about, and he didn't care. All he noticed was that her pages weren't moving as fast as they should be for the brilliant witch she was. Blaise on the other hand was desperately trying to think up something he could do to prove to Nicola that she should be with him, and not with Weasley.

At first it seemed like an incredibly unwelcome interruption when Ginny Weasley rushed over to Hermione's chair. Her loud exclamation of "There you are Hermione!" brought Blaise out of a particularly pleasant day dream where Weasley was knocked off his broom by a bludger in a Quidditch match and he, Blaise, was sweeping Nicola off her feet and taking her to a nice villa in Italy.

"I've been looking for you everywhere for the last two hours!" Blaise, who wasn't bothered by the fact that he was eavesdropping had to bite back a laugh. How could it possibly take anyone two hours to find Hermione Granger? She was _always_ in the library. Even he knew that, and he knew nothing about the annoying girl.

"Sorry Ginny, I just couldn't sit there and see them anymore." Hermione's voice was thick with emotion, and Blaise was sure the tears were about to come again. This was getting interesting. He wondered what he could do with this information.

"What does he see in her anyway?" Hermione said as Ginny crouched down next to her, completely ignoring the tall Slytherin who was slouched down in the chair across from her. _What does who see in whom? _Blaise thought to himself.

"I'm really sorry that you had to find out about them that way Hermione, Ron is just being stupid." Ginny answered, helping Hermione to put her book back in her bag as she stood up.

Ron, Blaise thought. Ron Weasley was the only Ron he knew off in Gryffindor, and it made sense that they would be talking about him seeing as how Ginny was his younger sister. Ron Weasley was also the prat who was currently dating the lovely Nicola.

"I know Ginny, but I've just liked him for so long, it was hard to see him with her. I'd do anything to have it go back to the way it used to be, before that Italian girl came here."

Blaise stiffened in his seat as the two Gryffindor's walked away.

Hermione Granger had a thing for Ron Weasley. The smartest witch in the school had a thing for the very guy who stood between him and Nicola.

Maybe, just maybe, if he could get her to help him than they could break up Nicola and Ron.

Blaise Zabini leaned back in his chair and smirked, a devious scheme formulating in the smart Slytherin's head.

This could get interesting.


	2. Chapter Two

The next day in Arithmacy, instead of taking his usual seat behind Hermione Granger, Blaise sat in the empty seat right next to her. In response to her look of dumbfounded shock he just smirked easily, tauntingly.

"What do you want this time?" She hissed, just loud enough for him to hear, but not loud enough to create a scene. Well, more of a scene. The sight of the Slytherin boy sitting next to the Gryffindor girl – Hermione Granger no less! – was already causing a bit of a stir.

"Nothing really, just noted that this seat was empty. It's not yours too is it?" He teased, taking an odd pleasure in the way her cheeks flushed.

"You don't sit here," she was starting to lose her cool, obviously expecting the worst. "You've never sat here."

Blaise only shrugged, and when Professor Vector walked in he just leaned back, getting comfortable in his new seat.

While Professor Vector talked Blaise knew he was in no danger of having Hermione yell at him, she never talked when a teacher did. But after the first five minutes Blaise noticed out of the corner of his eye that Hermione was furiously writing something on a piece of paper. When she slid the parchment in front of him he lowered his eyes to read it:

_What do you want Zabini? Aiming to torture the Gryffindor?_

Blaise couldn't help but smirk widely at Hermione before jotting down a reply. He figured it would be best just to get to the point.

_So, I hear you've had a chance to meet Nicola Contadino._

He looked up as he slid the parchment back to her and carefully studied her expression as she read it. Blaise bit back a grin as her eyes widened and then narrowed and he knew he had struck a nerve.

_Well, seeing as how she is in Gryffindor and in my year it would seem obvious that I have met her._

Hermione scribbled back and practically threw the paper back at him. He read it, using his Slytherin instincts to take in the slightly erratic turn her writing had taken. She was never very good at tramping down her emotions. He wrote her back and the two continued their note-passing.

_So then you know about her and Weasley? Of course you do, you two are such close friends. _

_Are you getting to a point Zabini? Or just wasting time until class is over? _

_Of course I have a point. _

_Then get to it. _

Blaise finally had her right where he wanted her. He paused for a moment, partially for dramatic effect but mostly to make sure that this was the right course of action. Hermione Granger was definitely not someone he wanted to get on the bad side with so he had to word this exactly right.

_I have it from a very reliable source that you have a thing for Weasley, and I thought maybe you'd like some help in snatching him from Contadino. _

After reading over what he had written twice Blaise slid the parchment back to Hermione and leaned back slightly as he watched her read it. Hermione snorted and flushed slightly as she read it, drawing a glance from Professor Vector at her slight and unusual disturbance of the class. After a moment Professor Vector went back to teaching and once Hermione deemed it safe she wrote back.

_I doubt your source is that reliable, and even if what you say is true, why on earth would you want to help me? What's in it for you? And who even says that I would want to break them up? Ron's my friend. _

Blaise smirked at Hermione in a way that told her that he knew about her feelings for Ron Weasley and that no matter how brave or aloof she acted she couldn't fool him before writing back.

_You wound me deep Granger._

Blaise couldn't help writing it. She was just so easy to bother and he couldn't resist teasing her a bit. If he had known how fun it was to annoy her he would've joined Malfoy in the sport long ago.

_Get on with it Zabini. _

Hermione was getting impatient.

_If I help you break them up you get Weasley, and than I can get Contadino. _

Blaise wrote the truth on the paper, deciding that was the best course of action. It was several minutes before Hermione wrote back, and Blaise had started to shift uneasily, wondering if she would even consider going along with his plan. He could do it without her that much he knew, but it would be harder and take longer. Hermione, being a Gryffindor, was on the inside. She had an advantage over him since she could easily affect their daily lives more productively than he could. Besides, she and Ron were best friends.

_You have a thing for Nicola? _

When Blaise read those six words he was slightly annoyed at how long it had taken her to write them. The answer was obvious, wasn't it? He had gone right out and said it. But he decided to indulge her and answered.

_Yes. And so it seems does your friend Weasley. So, you gonna help me break them up? _

Once again it took a long time for Hermione to answer, and when she did it was with one simple word that would succeed in throwing Blaise's entire year upside down.

_Yes. _


	3. Chapter Three

Blaise and Hermione did not continue their conversation through the rest of the Arithmacy class as Hermione had completely ignored him after replying with a 'yes.' Blaise contemplated it the entire night, and when he walked into class the next day after lunch he decided to once again take the seat next to Hermione, just to make sure that she was still on the same page as him.

He showed up for class – uncharacteristically – five minutes early and just as he predicted Hermione was already seated, rifling through her bag and getting all her parchment and quills ready for class.

"Afternoon Granger," Blaise said as he sat down. Hermione had not seen him coming and stiffened when he took the seat next to her, this caused Blaise to smirk.

"Zabini," she didn't look at him when she greeted him; instead she continued to go through her stuff.

Blaise didn't say anything to her, just leaned back in his seat and watched her under the fringe of his hair, a skill he had mastered. He thought to himself how easy it would be to finally break up Weasley and Nicola with her on his side. If only he was sure that she was on his side. Hermione had said yes, but he knew her – well, he didn't know her, but what student at Hogwarts didn't know all about the Head Girl Hermione Granger? – and she wasn't one to put herself in front of the happiness of others. Blaise contemplated for a few minutes on how he was going to convince the annoying girl to help him when Professor Vector began her lesson and solved his problem for him.

"Seeing as this is your NEWTs year, I have decided to make things a bit more difficult for you," Professor Vector's statement earned a collective groan from everyone in the class other than Hermione as the class was already hard enough. "75 of your mark for the first semester will be based on a project that I shall assign for you in groups of two. It should take the entire semester to do this project, and that includes class time as well as additional time spent outside of class.

"Because there are only twelve of you in this class and you are all already sitting in pairs I shall assign the person each and every one of you is sitting next to as your partner for this project." Professor finished her speech and turned her back on the class, reaching into her desk for a stack of six thick booklets that contained everything they would need to know about this new assignment.

Blaise heard Hermione mutter a few words of surprise under her breath and chuckled. While he certainly didn't fancy spending extra time with the know-it-all Gryffindor, Blaise couldn't help but marvel at his luck. As a Slytherin he was by rule ambitious, conniving, and persuasive. All three of these attributes he was confident were going to help him convince Hermione to help him win back Nicola; after all, she was going to have spend a lot of time with him. Wouldn't it be a lovely break from studying to discuss ways to break up Hogwarts newest couple?

Blaise's smirk grew as he turned and winked at Hermione who scowled right back at him. "Lovely," Blaise exclaimed with a broad grin as Professor Vector dropped the booklet on their desk.

"What are you so happy about Zabini? You're stuck working with me for –"

"Precisely," Blaise cut off her tirade and smirked devilishly again at her obvious confusion.

"Pardon?" Hermione asked after a moment, obviously trying to deduce for herself what he meant but failing and having to ask him.

Blaise leaned forward in his seat and lowered his voice a bit, the rest of the class was beginning to discuss the project and not paying any attention to the two of them but he wanted to make sure no one heard any way. "We'll be working on the project, and whenever we need to take a break we can discuss how we're going to break up Weasley and Contadino."

Hermione 'hrrumphed' and then began to idly flip through the booklet much to his annoyance. She was avoiding the topic and he really wanted to know if she was going to help him or not. "Let's get to work on the project," Hermione said in her most studious voice and Blaise narrowed his eyes, glaring at the haughty Gryffindor. There was no point in arguing with her, he knew that. After all, nobody really wanted to be on her bad side and if he pushed the subject he most definitely would have to break them up on his own.

"Alright then," Blaise smiled at her and to his pleasant surprise this only seemed to annoy her more. They worked on the project for the remainder of the class, Blaise not trying his luck by mentioning his evil scheme regarding two of her fellow Gryffindor's. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but working with Hermione wasn't all that bad. She was smart and witty when she wanted to be, causing him to laugh more than once in the hour they worked together. She really was something else, Blaise thought to himself as they began to pack up at the end of class.

As Hermione began to leave the room Blaise thought of something to jump start his plan into action. "Granger!" Blaise called out, causing her to turn around and look at him, one eyebrow raised in question. "Want to meet in the Library after classes to get to work on the _project_?"

Blaise's emphasis on the word 'project' did not go unnoticed with Hermione and she smirked at him, pausing to think for a moment. When she nodded her head slightly Blaise was pleased. He finally had her on his side.

"Fine Zabini, we'll meet by _my_ chair after dinner." Hermione said before turning around and continuing out of class. Blaise chuckled to himself as he packed his things into his bag. This was going to be nothing if not interesting.

Blaise left dinner a bit early so that he could grab Granger's chair for their meeting. He couldn't fathom why he did it, but he knew that he really wanted to annoy her. Fifteen minutes later when Hermione walked in Blaise looked up from his book to see the scowl on her face. He smiled in greeting.

"Fine. Take the chair." Hermione said bitterly, not even bothering to greet him properly. Blaise outright laughed.

"So, are we going to work at all on the real project, or am I just here to help you get yourself a girlfriend?" Hermione got right to the point, causing Blaise to laugh even more.

"Well, we can do both," Blaise said with a laugh, knowing that Hermione was desperate to get their school project done even though they had another five months to do it. She was such a keener, Blaise thought, leaning back in _her_ chair as she sat down.

Blaise had never had a real conversation with Hermione before today in their class, and now it seemed so easy.

Hermione smirked at him wearily. She didn't trust him, he knew that. She had no good reason to trust him. Blaise was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor. "So, got any sort of plan?"

It took Blaise a moment to realize what Hermione was talking about. He had been sure she would've wanted to start on the project. It was his hesitation that made her roll her eyes.

"Look, if you've enlisted my help in this just for me to do all the work then you're up for a rude awakening –"

"Don't be daft Granger. You know very well why I want your help in this," Blaise said, annoyed at her righteousness.

Hermione glared for a moment before shutting her eyes for what he could only assume was the count of ten. Blaise pressed on. "You're on the inside, little Miss Gryffindor. You're friends with Weasley, and no one would ever suspect you of treachery. You're far too boring for that".

It was an underhanded thing to say, but Blaise felt no remorse. He was a Slytherin after all.

Hermione did not respond to his taunt, she only arched an eyebrow and stared him down with eyes that made him nervous with their earnestness. He decided he didn't like the tension so he spoke, breaking the silence. "There is a Hogsmeade weekend coming up. We can start with that."

"Start how? Are you going to profess your undying love to Nicola and sweep her off her feet?" Hermione snickered at him Blaise scowled. Granger was laughing at him!

"No," he replied, condescending in a way he knew would annoy her. "You're going to be a tag-along, following Weasley around like the lost puppy you are Granger, and I am going to observe."

She once again ignored his barb. "Observe what?"

"How Nicola and Weasley react to each other and to you. Trust me Granger," he ignored her bark like laugh and continued. "I'm good at observing people and learning from it. It's what I've been doing for the last six years at this Muggle invested school and it's what I am going to do at the Hogsmeade trip. After the trip you and I will meet in the library and discuss what we've learned and then we'll come up with a plan." His use of the word Muggle instead of Mudblood was not lost on her and her expression softened slightly.

"Discuss what we've learned?" Blaise rolled his eyes, her tendancy to repeat everything he said was starting to grate on his already stretched nerves. "Can't we just observe them for the next few weeks at school? Or do you need to draw this out?"

Blaise rolled his eyes and stared at her as if she were a stupid child and not the smartest witch Hogwarts had ever seen.

"No, Granger, I can't just observe them now. There is no way I can with the two of them always locked up in that damn Gryffindor common room. You're just going to have to learn to stop being so rash and to be patient. I know it's hard to wait for things - you Gryffindor's and your pride – but if we're going to do this we have to do it right."

Hermione paused and nodded. The two were silent for a moment and Blaise grew apprehensive, wondering what she was thinking and what she was going to say next, but no matter how worried he was he could have never prepared himself for her next words.

"Arithmacy is a very important class for me and I intend to pass my NEWTs just as I've passed all my exams – with outstanding marks. So why don't we stop this little melodrama for long enough to get some groundwork done on our project now that you've gotten us stuck working together for the rest of the year …" She pulled out the package Professor Vector had given him earlier that day and began to show him the copious notes she had already taken.

Hermione continued to lecture Blaise about the work they needed to get done and how she wanted to do it, choosing to ignore his laughter and obvious amusement.

Blaise couldn't help but think to himself, this girl was nothing if not interesting.


	4. Chapter Four

No progress had been made on Blaise and Hermione's bargain for the weeks before the Hogsmeade weekend. They had spent all their time together working on their Arithmacy project, and they did seem to spend a lot of time together. For hours they poured away over different books in the library, the over achiever in both of them desperate to do this project and do it well. Neither spoke of social things, they didn't tell jokes. It was all work and no play and that was the way they both liked it.

At the end of their last meeting, the night before the Hogsmeade weekend, Hermione had stopped Blaise as he was about to leave the library. There were ten minutes until curfew and he was more than a little annoyed at her for stopping him, but he turned around nonetheless to hear what she had to say.

Hermione had then brought up the plan. Or, at least their plan to make a plan. She was wondering if Blaise still planned to "observe" them – she said that with a snicker – and what she could do to help. After all, Ron and Nicola had already been dating more than a month, closer to two actually, and she thought it was about time they started breaking them up. Blaise agreed wholeheartedly and asked Hermione to try and keep them in one place – it didn't matter what place, he just wanted it to be somewhere busy. Somewhere he could go unnoticed and be able to watch them.

Hermione agreed and they parted ways.

The next day the Hogsmeade trip started out very promising. Blaise had trailed Nicola, Ron, Harry, Ginny and Hermione all day from when they left Hogwarts to when they arrived in the quaint Wizarding town, watching their every moves from a respectable distance. He had watched them move from bookstore to sweet shop and everywhere in between. When Hermione had finally gotten them to settle down and have a bite to eat he had followed. Blaise had sat with Draco Malfoy and made idle chatter while spying on Nicola and Ron in all their lovey-dovey glory.

At first it had bothered him, watching the way Nicola's eyes lit up whenever Ron looked at her. Watching the way her fingers always found his, the way her hand grazed his face. She was constantly touching him, constantly looking at him and talking to him. They were obviously enamored with one another and this drove Blaise nuts.

Or at least it did at first.

As the day went by Blaise began to notice Hermione's discomfort more and more. He watched the way her eyes glistened with tears whenever Ron looked at Nicola. Watched the way her fingers twitched and clenched whenever Nicola and Ron held hands, watched the sorrow on her face when Nicola's hands grazed his face. He was surprised and more than a little shocked to notice that none of her friends were paying any attention to her obvious devastation. They were all too caught up in their own love stories to see her broken heart.

He was even more surprised to notice that he cared and was upset with their lack of consideration.

Since when did he care about Hermione?

This made him angry and he concentrated harder on observing Nicola and Ron and ignoring Granger. It made him even angrier how hard this was as Hermione was always two feet away from them, miserable.

Blaise was drawn away from his observations when Draco said something and expected a response. Unsure as to what Draco had even said Blaise just smiled and nodded, hoping his friend wouldn't notice what he was doing. If Malfoy ever heard about one of his friends watching Hermione Granger they would never hear the end of it.

Wait, watching Hermione Granger? Blaise kicked himself mentally. He was _supposed_ to be watching Nicola Contadino. Nicola not Hermione. Blaise shook his head to clear his thoughts and shifted his eyes slightly to the left, maintaining a pretence of listening to Malfoy while his eyes went back to spying.

Nicola, her Italian heritage making her a naturally expressive person, could not tear her eyes away from Ron and it was obvious that breaking them up would be no small feat. Whatever it was she saw in him it wasn't something trivial and it wasn't something that would be easily squashed. As for what Ron saw in her it was obvious, he saw everything Blaise had noticed first. It wasn't fair, he thought, it should be finders keepers. Blaise had loved her first!

He made several mental notes, none of them useful. For the life of him Blaise could not see any tension or any thing he could use to aid Hermione and himself in breaking up the Hogwarts Sweet Hearts. The only thing he noticed he balked at using, and that was the friendship, the bond between Hermione and Ron.

It was obvious that the two were very close friends and if Blaise had stopped to think about it he would realize that that burning in his mind was jealousy over her easy camaraderie with the red headed weasel. He obviously cared for her, although not romantically, and the Slytherin in Blaise wondered if he could use that to his advantage, something he instantly discounted. Hermione could not be used to break up Ron and Nicola.

Now, whether he decided this based on what he knew about Hermione and Ron's relationship (which he must admit wasn't much, she never talked to Blaise about anything personal when she could avoid it) or because he didn't think it fair to her, was something Blaise wouldn't even begin to analyze.

Blaise leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing. Ginny and Harry – a couple since the beginning of seventh year – were telling some sort of story to their three companions. He was too far away to hear what they were saying but close enough to see and read their emotions. Ron and Nicola laughed easily while Hermione was obviously only pretending to enjoy herself, that patented fifth wheel. Once again, Blaise was shocked to see her best friends so uncaring about her happiness. How could he, someone who barely knew her, read her like one of those books she loved so much while her friends seemed oblivious.

A voice in Blaise's head challenged him. _Maybe it's because you're looking._

"I said, are you coming?" Draco Malfoy's voice brought Blaise back to reality and he furrowed his brow. Coming where? It was just then that Blaise noticed Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Knott had joined them.

He decided wherever it was, he'd rather stay here. "No thanks. I'll catch up with you guys later." With a nod from Malfoy the three Slytherins left Blaise to himself and to his increasingly disturbing thoughts.

Blaise crossed his arms as the gang of Gryffindor's food arrived and he settled into his chair. Watching and observing, saving all thoughts for later when he could reflect on them in peace. It was fifteen minutes before anything interesting happened. After their lunch Nicola stood up, leaned over to kiss Ron, said something in the way of a goodbye and then headed by herself to the doorway. Not one of them got up to follow her and Blaise caught Hermione's eye.

Hermione seemed to read his silent questions and nodded in reply. Yes, Nicola was going off by herself. Yes, Hermione would keep Ron distracted.

Blaise got up from his table, dropped a few knuts on the table as payment for his Butterbeer and left to follow Nicola Contadino, unsure as to what he would say when he found her but convinced talking to her would drive all thoughts of Hermione out of his head.

He finally caught up with her close to the woods near the Shrieking Shack; she was on her way back to Hogwarts. Blaise was still several feet away from her when he stopped and decided to get her attention.

"Nicola! Wait up," he spoke in Italian and smiled for her. She whirled around and looked genuinely glad to see him. Blaise frowned when he noticed that his heart rate didn't increase at the sight of her lovely smile.

"Blaise! It is good to see you. We never get a chance to talk anymore." Nicola took a step towards him and brushed the hair out her face.

Christ, she was lovely. But for whatever reason it didn't affect Blaise the way it usually did. Why wasn't he still falling over himself to speak to her? Why wasn't he boasting and flirting and doing everything else his brothers had taught him to 'get the girl'?

And why was he thinking about bushy hair and expressive brown eyes?

Blaise shook his head and frowned, causing Nicola to take a step forward and ask if he was ok. Blaise nodded in response, but wasn't entirely sure that he was ok. What was wrong with him? Here he was, standing with the girl of his dreams and he wasn't feeling any of the love that he had convinced himself he felt.

Nicola took another step forward and began to speak to him, something about how she had gotten a letter from her mother and how confusing she found Ancient Runes.

He laughed mentally at that. Ancient Runes was an easy course. Hermione Granger would agree with him about that. Another frown crossed his face. So what if Hermione was smart! Why couldn't he tear his mind away from her and focus on the goddess in front of him? Blaise was beginning to get frustrated.

How had his feelings for Nicola Contadino disappeared so fast? And what did it all have to do with that know-it-all Gryffindor. Blaise didn't get it. There was no way – no way – he had feelings for Granger so why couldn't he get her out of his head?

Nicola took another step forward and placed her hand on his arm, concern etched in her face.

"Blaise? Is everything alright?" She spoke softly and her Italian was smooth.

Blaise shook his head and did the one thing he could think of to erase Granger from his thoughts. He leaned forward, putting both hands on Nicola's shoulders, and kissed her deeply, his tongue grazing her lips and his mouth gently pressed against hers. It took a moment for Nicola to push him away and begin to lecture him in Italian, but he ignored her every word and her talk of 'loving Ron' and Blaise and her being 'just friends.'

Where was the speeding pulse or the hurt at her rejection? Where was the disappointment and joy? Why wasn't he feeling, well, anything. There was no passion coursing through his veins.

He didn't move a muscle when Nicola walked away, calling to him over her shoulder to say that she wouldn't tell Ron and that they could just forget it had happened. He didn't care that she was leaving him.

Blaise was greatly disturbed. What had happened to him?

And why did he feel guilty, feeling like he'd betrayed Granger?

Blaise shook his head and shut his eyes. This was going to be a long day.


	5. Chapter Five

_Part One._

Both Blaise and Hermione were sitting in the very back of the library, at a small round table by the Muggle Literature Section. Hermione looked devastated as she had just gotten home from the Hogsmeade Trip and had had to endure hours of Ron and Nicola. Blaise on the other hand was feeling decidedly uncomfortable and upset. He had just kissed Nicola and had felt _nothing_. In fact, the entire trip to Hogsmeade he had sat with Malfoy and stared at Hermione Granger as she tried to put up a brave front in the face of Nicola and Ron together.

This brought forth a startling realization for Blaise, and it bothered him like nothing else.

They had only really hung out a couple of times in the six years they had gone school together, but it seemed it had only taken that short amount. And now here he was, sitting with her in the dark corner of the library where there was absolutely no chance of anyone coming to see them. Sitting with her and feeling her presence, in fact, he was oblivious to everything else except her. It was infuriating.

"You know," Hermione began, speaking softly but still interrupting him from his thoughts, an interruption he was grateful for. "She isn't really even that pretty." She didn't have to specify who she was talking about - they had talked of nothing but Nicola and Ron. And her words were bitter and they made him laugh.

Hermione turned her head slightly so that she could glare at him properly and that made Blaise laugh even harder. "Granger, you know she's pretty."

Her eyes blazed and this made her look even prettier to Blaise, a thought which he instantly tried to squash down. He wasn't supposed to find _her_ pretty.

"You're not supposed to be complimenting her," Hermione glared even more; "You're supposed to be helping me figure out how to break the two of them up!" Blaise laughed again much to the frustration of Hermione.

And than he did something so typically Slytherin he figured he must've ripped out a page from Malfoy's book. He pulled out the mickey of Fire Whiskey from his bag that he had purchased in Hogsmeade.

Hermione stared at it for a minute before her eyes widened comically and she looked up at him. "You're not supposed to have that!"

Blaise laughed at the very flustered and nervous Hogwarts Head Girl and used his wand to make two shot glasses appear on the table. He knew that if caught they would get in a lot of trouble, but Blaise also knew that they wouldn't get caught. They were in one of the farthest corners of the library, even the librarian never felt the need to venture there. After all, Hogwarts students rarely checked books out from the Muggle section so there was hardly any need to put books back there.

"Relax Granger. We won't get caught." He began to unscrew the bottle but she put her tiny hand on his wrist, detaining him and sending an unwelcome jolt into the pit of his stomach.

"But I'm Head Girl! I can't –"

"Then don't," Blaise interrupted, shaking her hand off him and pouring himself a sizeable shot. "I just had to sit through two and a half hours of watching Weasley and Nicola, and I feel in great need of a drink. If you don't want one, then don't have one." Blaise knew he was lying, even before the words came out. He wasn't drinking because of Nicola, the reason he was drinking was sitting right in front of him. But she didn't need to know that. He smirked at her, as she stared incredulously at him, and then downed the first shot. The Fire Whiskey was true to its name and burned his insides pleasantly as it made its way to his stomach.

Hermione stared at him for a moment more as he made a brief sound of pleasure at the delectable taste of forbidden whiskey. With a loud sigh of defeat Hermione reached over and poured herself a small shot under the watchful eyes of Blaise. She glared at him defiantly and then tossed it back. The second the whiskey hit her throat she began to cough and sputter, doubling over and leaning against the table, gasping for air. She obviously wasn't much of a drinker.

Blaise laughed heartedly as he patted her on the back, tears nearly coming to his eyes he was laughing so hard. Hermione brought her head up slightly and glared at him, her own eyes glazed over in tears in reaction to the drink. He laughed even more.

"You better keep your noise level down Ms. Granger; we'd hate to have Madam Pince come over here to investigate."

"Maybe you should take your own advice _Mr. Zabini_ and stop laughing then," she growled back at him, sitting up straight in her chair and acting as if she had not just choked. He laughed again and than poured another two shots while looking curiously at her to see if she would stop him. She didn't.

"Besides Granger, what better way to plot the breakup of Hogwart's cutest couple than drunkenly slurring over some Fire Whiskey?" He smirked at her in challenge and knew that he was grating on her nerves, it pleased him to be able to ruffle her feathers. She looked so cute when she was angry.

Blaise blinked. Hermione Granger wasn't cute. And he needed to stop thinking about her that way. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, he thought as she sipped her shot. He wanted to laugh, but was too caught up in his own thoughts.

"Stop staring at me Zabini, obviously you've deduced that I don't drink much, and I'd rather not make too much of a fool of myself." Hermione glared at him, taking another small sip. This time he did laugh.

"I wasn't staring at you," he lied smoothly. "I'm just trying to figure out how we're going to make Weasley dump the lovely Nicola for you."

She flushed angrily and he knew he had struck a nerve. Her fingers tightened around the shot glass and she tossed it back with minimal sputtering this time. "Do you have any sort of plan in mind Zabini?" Hermione said after putting her glass down and leaning back.

"None that could possibly work," Blaise joked, taking out his wand and muttering an enlargement spell so that the shot glasses became regular glasses. Hermione's eyebrow raised as he conjured up a bottle of cola and began to mix them some drinks. She didn't reply to his joke, just sat there scrutinizing him. "Now who's staring," Blaise muttered.

"I'm just trying to figure you out Zabini." Hermione leaned into the desk, taking another sip of her drink. Blaise figured she probably found it easier to talk to him with the alcohol in her system. And judging on how little she had eaten at Hogsmeade (not that he had been watching …) he figured the alcohol was probably going straight to her head.

"Are you succeeding?" Blaise furrowed his brow after speaking. It seemed to him like he was flirting with her and flirting with Hermione Granger was definitely not something he wanted to do.

"No." Hermione continued to stare at him and Blaise shifted uncomfortably. Why did she have to look at him like that?

He took another sip of his own drink, tilting his head so that his bangs fell over his eyes allowing him to watch Hermione without her seeing anything in the depths of his eyes. "There is nothing to figure out. I want Nicola," - _liar_, the word reverberated in his mind – "And you want Ron. They're together, so we're plotting to break them apart. End of story."

"Couldn't you break them up on your own? Without my help?" Hermione asked, looking at him with a strange expression on her face.

"Why? Getting cold feet? What about all that talk about Gryffindor bravery?" He taunted, knowing that he couldn't let her back out, not until he figured out a way to get her out of his head.

"No," she snarled and he laughed at how easily she switched emotions. Sure, Hermione Granger may be the smartest witch in their year, perhaps in the school, but she was still a teenage girl and most teenage girls are easily taunted. "I've just been thinking-"

"There's a surprise," Blaise muttered, interrupting her.

Hermione scowled before continuing. "Ron and Nicola seem really happy. And since I'm Ron's friend it doesn't seem right for me to be doing this to him …" Hermione trailed off and Blaise instantly picked up on her lack of conviction. Sure enough, she felt bad about what they were doing, but when it really came down to it she craved her own happiness, happiness she had been searching for six years, and that involved going through with the scheming.

"But you are going to go through with it?" Blaise scowled at the slight hint of desperation in his voice, hoping that she didn't hear it.

"Go through with what?" Hermione was starting to loser her temper and the alcohol only intensified her emotions. "We haven't even got a plan yet!"

"I'm just trying to make sure that you're not backing out on me Granger," Blaise spat trying to quell his emotions. It really bothered him that she was thinking about backing out. He tried to rationalize that they would still have the project to work on but studying with Hermione wouldn't be the same as scheming with her.

"No, I'm not _backing_ out," Hermione grumbled back and Blaise realized he had hit another nerve. It was great, making her angry. Now he knew why Malfoy did it so much. It was almost as addictive as a drug. Hermione took another long sip of her drink as Blaise watched her. "You're doing it again," she growled, finishing the drink and nudging the cup in his direction so he would pour her another.

Blaise poured some more fire whiskey and coke into her cup, his brow furrowing a bit in confusion. "Doing what?"

"Staring," she said, taking the cup back.

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"Does it bother you?"

"I wouldn't comment on it unless it did," much to Blaise's disappointment Hermione ended their playful banter by taking another sip.

The alcohol was really affecting her, hitting her fast and Blaise knew that if he didn't stop her from drinking soon things would get out of hand. So, naturally, being the Slytherin that he is, he leaned back in his chair and watched the know-it-all Gryffindor Head Girl get drunk.

"So it bothers you when I look at you?" Blaise crossed his arms, wanting her to flirt with him and not daring to analyze why.

Hermione took a deep breath and it took her longer than necessary to answer. "No," Hermione sighed. "But it bothers me when you stare."

"Why?"

Hermione tilted her head and seemed to mull this over for a while, as if she didn't even know why it bothered her. "Because," she sighed again and took a big gulp from her cup for courage – something this Gryffindor was losing rapidly in the presence of Blaise. "Because you stare longer than necessary and I don't know what you're thinking which makes you look at me so … so …"

"So what?" Blaise moved so that he was leaning forward in his chair and over the table, bringing himself closer to Hermione, his drink completely forgotten on the table.

"So … lustfully." Hermione erupted into giggles after saying this and Blaise realized she was finally drunk.

Blaise smirked. "Lustfully?" He repeated the word and watched Hermione giggle, a sight he knew he would never get another opportunity to see. "And why do you suppose I look at you like that?"

"I dunno," Hermione slurred between giggles.

Blaise leaned even closer to her and whispered, "Use your imagination."

Hermione stopped giggling and stared at him. The air became charged and Blaise suddenly – acting without any rational thought as he was being led astray by teenage hormones – kissed her.

Their lips only touched for a stunned moment before Blaise pulled a few inches away and searched her face. Her eyes were glazed, her breath was coming fast, and her cheeks were flushed. She was pissed drunk and as Blaise leaned forward to kiss her again he prayed that she was so drunk she wouldn't remember this in the morning.

But at the same time he prayed that she would never forget.

_Part two._

Blaise hadn't slept at all last night. It wasn't that he hadn't tried, because he had. He had tried desperately to sleep, but he had only succeeded in lying in his bed, starring at his ceiling. But he hadn't seen his ceiling, all he had seen was _her_ face, floating above him, and it pissed him off like nothing else ever had. Blaise knew he shouldn't have kissed her last night, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

That second kiss had seemed to last forever and when they had finally broken apart he had his hand tangled in her hair and she was playing with the collar of his shirt. He was incredibly aroused and shocked that it had only taken a kiss to put him in that condition and that was when he realized he was playing with fire. Much to Hermione's drunken disappointment Blaise had gotten rid of the alcohol and their glasses with a wave of his wand and without a word had grabbed her by the arm, leading her out of the library like a child who had just broken all the rules.

He didn't look at her at all and didn't speak either, completely at a loss as to what to say.

It had taken him a lot longer then it should have, but by following her vague instructions he had managed to escort her to the Gryffindor common room door and leave her there, not even turning around to see if she had gotten inside.

He hurried off to his own common room and completely ignored everyone inside, rushing to his dorm and drawing the curtains around his bed.

While he lay there he wished that he had not been such a fool and had gotten drunk, at least than he would've had an excuse.

When he walked into the Great Hall the next morning, moving forward like a zombie with his eyes drooping slightly, he unconsciously looked towards the Gryffindor table where he knew Hermione would be sitting, not at all affected by the events of last night. And sure enough, there she was, seated right next to Harry and across from Ron and Nicola. She had obviously used some sort of sobering charm on herself to prevent a hangover and he could see her face light up as Weasley said something stupid and kicked himself for the dark feelings of jealousy that crowded his senses. Zabini's did not get jealous.

But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't.

She glowed, radiating happiness as she sat with her friends. She was completely oblivious to the moody Slytherin who was now taking a seat at his house table, carefully positioning himself so that he could stare at her without attracting notice. She had no idea how he had tossed and turned last night, desperately wishing that he had never kissed her, and at the same time knowing if he could go back and redo the entire night he still would have done everything the same.

She had no idea yet, but she would.


	6. Chapter Six

Hermione arrived at her last class of the day – Arithmacy – the Monday after the Hogsmeade trip more than a little flustered. Blaise watched her from beneath his bangs as she deposited her bag on the desk, making a loud "thwmp", and began to rifle through her things. He had deliberately arrived in class early after waiting since Sunday morning for a chance to talk with her. Now he was just biding time. After all, all things worth doing were worth waiting for.

How much did she remember from Saturday night in the library? Did she remember their kiss? Had Nicola told him about his kiss with her? He sincerely doubted the latter, Hermione and Nicola were hardly on sharing terms.

Blaise blinked and frowned as Hermione pulled out her notebook and began to write some notes. A bright blush coloured her cheeks in pink and Blaise grudgingly admitted to himself she looked quite pretty when she was uncomfortable. He was also happy to note that if she was blushing she was embarrassed. If she was embarrassed she remembered, at least partly, what had happened.

After waiting a few moments more Blaise finally took the initiative and spoke to Hermione – after all, she certainly didn't seem in any hurry to talk to him.

"Afternoon, Granger." He dipped his head in greeting and leaned forward in his chair.

"Zabini." Short. Sweet. And to the point. Blaise raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Neither said a word for another few minutes. Students were starting to wander into the class. Time was almost up. Blaise tried again. "Granger, about Sat-"

She turned to look at him so fast he was surprised she didn't give herself whiplash. "Later!" she hissed before turning back to her notebook, ignoring him.

Blaise couldn't help himself. He laughed out loud, earning himself a glare from Hermione and a few curious looks from other students. Blaise Zabini rarely laughed out loud. He chuckled, he smirked and he snickered, but an out right show of mirth was just not something Zabini's did. Especially when conversing with a Gryffindor.

Blaise turned away from Hermione's glares before he could laugh again and stared straight ahead. Professor Vector entered the room and all the students conversations died down. Seventh year, NEWT year was far too important to waste valuable class time with idle chattering. Class began.

Normally a good student Blaise was annoyed to find himself tuning out the teacher fifteen minutes into the start of class. His hooded eyes watching Hermione from beneath his bangs as she wrote away furiously taking notes. This little witch, this Gryffindor over-achiever, how had she become so adept at stealing his attention? How was she so unaware of the frustrated tension coursing through him? _How had she become so beautiful?_

Shock seared his brain as effectively as Artic waters. Hermione Granger was _not_ beautiful. Or at least he had never noticed it before.

"Zabini? Mr. Zabini?!" Professor Vector spoke again, annoyance evident on her usually friendly features.

Blaise straightened in his chair and had to stop himself from groaning aloud. "Yes Professor?" Blaise answered, aware of everyone's eyes on him. Aware of her eyes on him.

"I asked you how your project is coming along." Professor Vector raised her eyebrow in question and shifted so she could catch Hermione, his partner, in her gaze as well.

"We've been making progress." In truth Blaise and Hermione were almost done, but no fool would ever tell that to a NEWT teacher unless they wanted more work to do. More work to do, more time spent with Hermione. "Actually we're almost done."

Blaise could've kicked himself but was saved from having to do it by a swift kick in the shins from Hermione. He winced but said nothing, he definitely deserved that. Why had he just done that? Blaise's frustration with himself doubled.

The Professor smiled, obviously impressed with his honesty and willing to excuse him for his previous lack of attention. "That's refreshing to hear especially when we're barely half way through the semester and most of the class has already asked for an extension. Mr. Zabini, Ms Granger. Please stay after class and we'll see if we can't work something out to keep you two from getting bored. It seems you two make a good team." Hermione shot daggers at him with her eyes as Professor Vector turned away and he shrugged, just as upset with himself as she was.

At the end of class Professor Vector was true to her word. There was no way Blaise or Hermione would get bored – or sleep – with the amount of work she'd just assigned to them. The amount of _partner _work. As both students walked out of class carrying three more thick booklets to be completed for Arithmacy Blaise tried to apologize but Hermione cut him off before he could even open his mouth.

"Zabini! What were you thinking? This is our NEWTs year and I've got more than enough homework to keep me occupied all hours of the night without you adding to it! What were you thinking?" Hermione knelt down on the floor while she berated him, carefully organizing all her books into her bag.

Blaise wasn't sure how to answer that. After all, he really had no idea what he'd been thinking. He'd rashly responded to the idea of spending more time with her, something that bothered and frightened him. "I'm not sure; I guess I was just being honest?" He half smiled at her, trying to break the ice as she stood up, dusting off her knees.

Hermione sighed. "Well you'll have to meet me in the library tonight after supper." She scrunched up her face in frustration. Christ her nose was cute like that,

"What?" Blaise said, half to her suggestion and half to himself. Since when did he think Hermione Granger had a cute nose?

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Library Blaise. A place to read books and study-"

"I know what a Library is," Blaise was exasperated with her.

"Of course you do," Hermione looked down at her watch and Blaise stared at her. Her eyes were browner then he'd thought, with a hint of blue around the pupil – he shook his head to clear it of her. "Well, I managed to get a bit ahead in my homework on the weekend and I want to take this opportunity to finish our Arithmacy project tonight so we can start on these new projects you just earned us," another glare. "Meet me in the library at my spot at seven sharp."

She didn't even wait for a reply, just stalked off leaving Blaise alone and bewildered.

What had he gotten himself into with this girl?


	7. Chapter Seven

Blaise spent the early afternoon in his dorm room finishing up his potions homework before going down to the Great Hall. If he'd really wanted to analyze it Blaise would have realized that he looked for Hermione at the Gryffindor table because he wanted to see her. Instead, he blamed it on the fact that he had to walk past the Gryffindor table to get to his seat at the Slytherin table anyway. This was bullocks as he could've easily just walked around the Hufflepuff table and saved himself the time.

He was beyond frustrated and it was all that little witches fault. He had officially lost all self respect as he sat at the Slytherin table during dinner starring at the Gryffindor table like a lost puppy trying to catch a glimpse of Hermione Granger.

None of that mattered though, she wasn't there. She hadn't shown.

Blaise's mood had gotten sourer as he stared at the happy faces of Nicola, Ron, Harry and Ginny - none of whom seemed at all concerned that their friend was missing. His brow furrowed in consternation. It didn't occur to Blaise (second only to Hermione in their year) that they weren't worried because they knew where she was.

He sat in sullen silence, waiting and waiting to no avail. It wasn't until dinner was over and he looked at his watch – 6:30pm – that he decided to head to the library and be early for his meeting with Hermione. With a quick nod to his friends he snatched up some tarts and cookies, wrapping them in napkin, and headed towards _her chair_ in the library.

In the time it took Blaise to walk to the library from the Great Hall his frown deepened. He wasn't looking forward to seeing her. In fact he was dreading it despite his trying desperately to get a look at her all day. He'd felt sick all through Arithmacy, a nervous knot all through his stomach and sweaty palms to top it off. She'd been too close but not close enough. Why couldn't he get her out of his head?

Blaise shouldn't have been as surprised as he was to see her already in the library, her nose stuck in a thick book and ink stains on her fingers. If she noticed him walk up and sit in the chair across from her she didn't show it and Blaise decided not to bother her. She was probably still mad at him for earning them extra homework anyway.

Blaise sat silent and still, leaning back with his head tilted down so he could watch her behind his bangs. She'd pulled most of her hair back but it had spilled out so small strands framed her face. Her brow was pulled together in concentration, but rather than making her look stern it just added to her bookish beauty. While most of the girls in their year were spending their mornings practicing charms and glamours to make themselves look beautiful and flawless with caked on foundation and gaudy red lipstick Hermione did nothing. There wasn't a speck of makeup on her lovely face which made you notice it even more. She didn't lay out her clothes or choose stockings with care; you could tell by the way her shirt buttons weren't lined up that she just didn't give a damn.

She wasn't gorgeous like the Pansy Parkinson's or flawless like the Parvati Patil's of the world. Hermione granger was timeless.

Blaise was startled from his observations when she finally spoke, still refusing to look up. "Zabini."

"Granger," Blaise was proud of his Slytherin ability to hide his emotions; he didn't want her to know how she made him feel. He didn't want _anyone_ to know.

Silence took over and the only sound was the scratching of her quill. Could she feel the tension between them? How charged the air was? Probably not, he thought annoyed.

He reached into his bag pulling out a book on the History of Celtic Runes and began to read. Much to his annoyance Blaise got through an entire four chapters before Hermione finally acknowledged him again. It was exactly seven o'clock when she put her quill down and looked up at him, clearing her throat loudly.

Blaise slowly finished his sentence and took his time responding to her, trying to annoy her as she'd annoyed him. It worked. She looked exasperated with him and he was pleased to note that when their eyes met she flushed a pale pink.

"After the amount of work you earned us today you could at least take this seriously," Hermione glared at him and Blaise tried not to laugh at her frustration.

"Pardon?"

She sighed loudly. "You're Arithmacy texts? You could have started working on the project while waiting –"

"I do have other homework to do, Granger. Since you _obviously_ weren't ready to work on it I decided to take care of some other reading I had to do."

"I said seven Zabini."

"And now it's five after. You do know how to waste time chatting," he spoke before she could interrupt and berate him and his audacity "Or would you like to ask me how my day went before we start?"

Hermione shut her eyes and seemingly counted backwards from ten. Blaise just smiled, crossing his arms. Finally, after a moment Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out their first project, their goal was to finish it off so they could start the new ones over the next few days.

Blaise didn't tease Hermione for another hour and a half. She was so earnest in her desire to do well in school and he wanted to get the work done just as much as she did. Besides, it was nice sitting there across from her, no scathing remarks and no snide comments. She even laughed a couple of times - a sound that ate into his gut - when he told a joke.

They had finished almost the entire booklet, four pages left to go, around quarter to nine when Blaise looked up. Hermione's stomach had grumbled and she pressed her hand against it in embarrassment. Blaise chuckled and her face flushed. She looked down at her work, refusing to meet his eye as Blaise reached into his bag and pulled out his crumpled napkin of goodies.

"Miss dinner?" He posed it as a question though he bloody well knew she hadn't been in the Great Hall. It was better to pretend ignorance than admit he'd been watching for her.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow in question, staring at his offering and making no move to accept it.

Blaise sighed and unwrapped the napkin, showing her the cookies and tarts he'd placed inside. "It's food, Granger."

She smiled a little and accepted it, giving him a jolt as her fingers brushed against his. She made no move to eat it at first, just eyed the offering.

Blaise smirked at her, catching her eye. "You might want to be careful; it did come from the Slytherin table. I heard a rumor all the foods the same no matter which house you come from but you never know." She laughed and picked up a cookie.

"A rumor huh? Sounds plausible. Thanks Zabini. I missed dinner trying to get my homework done and forgot to bring any snacks." He nodded his head in acknowledgement of her thanks, leaning back in his chair so they could indulge in a short study break. Her next words made him blush. "Besides, I'm not nearly as skilled at conjuring spells as you are."

Conjuring spells a reference to Saturday night.

"Being in Slytherin gives you a lot of practice. You never know when you might need something out of thin air." Blaise smiled at her and crossed his legs, dangling his foot on his knee.

"Hmm. I think they should cover that subject more. I remember we only touched on it in Charms." Hermione reached for a tart, her cookie already finished.

"It was something I picked up at home."

"Must be nice," Hermione muttered and then blushed.

Blaise was confused. "What must be nice?"

Hermione swallowed her pride and spoke up, her Gryffindor bravery sparking up as she was about to admit something deeply personal to the Slytherin boy. "It must be nice learning spells at home. My family are Muggle born so they couldn't teach me anything even if they wanted to."

Blaise had never really thought of the advantages he had over others. If he had in the past it might have frustrated him, knowing this girl with no such advantages had taken him out in every subject they'd ever shared. But he didn't get jealous now, all he got was curious, something that went against his house nature.

"How do they feel about you being a witch?" Blaise asked tentatively, unsure if she would answer.

Hermione looked taken aback at his question, as she should be. Slytherin's didn't care about Muggle born as a rule. But rules were made to be broken. "Well, they're proud I suppose. I think they were a bit worried at first, but now they think its fine."

"They must be proud. After all, you are first in our year." He blushed a little at that. As second in their year he should resent her, not praise her. Blaise shifted his gaze so he could look at the paper in front of him. Too bad his eyes passed her lips on the way down. God, she had such amazing lips …

"Well, your family must be pleased too; after all, you're second in our year. That's something to be happy about." Hermione brushed a few crumbs from her lap and leaned back in her chair.

"Oh, they are." Blaise avoided the topic of his home life. Somehow, he didn't think telling her how disappointed his family was that he was second to a Gryffindor – a Muggle born Gryffindor! – would help any. "They're especially happy I'm ahead of a Malfoy." He added that in, figuring it would please her and happy with the results.

Hermione covered her mouth when she laughed. It was cute. "Are they really?"

"Of course! The Zabini's have never been remarkable, and for my family's youngest son to be ahead of the only son of one the wizarding world's most respected and revered families is something of an honour." Blaise lifted his eyebrow and offered Hermione one of his most dazzling half smiles. She blushed again and blinked. It was so nice to speak to her without the animosity of before.

"I bet Malfoy just loves that you're so pleased."

"Oh God no, but of course I've never told him. He thinks the wide grins on my parents' faces at the train station are because they are happy to be seeing him." This earned him another laugh. Blaise smiled and leaned back, crossing his hands behind his head.

Both Hermione and Blaise heard the door shutting at exactly the same time, and the way they both half leapt out of their seats would have been funny if there had been someone there to see.

"Did you here that?" Hermione's eyes widened.

"Madam Pince must've just locked up", Blaise looked down at his watch and frowned. "It's already 10 o'clock."

"Oh dear," Hermione began the impossible task of stuffing her books gently into her bag, hurriedly trying to get all of her things together so she could make a break for the door without being caught past curfew.

Blaise slowly packed his things away too, frustrated that things had to end now after they had been getting on so well. "She must not have seen us back here." He tried at small talk but Hermione was far too worried. Head Girl! Out past curfew! He could almost hear her brain ticking as she imagined every possible scenario. She probably thought she would lose her badge after being caught breaking the rules, Blaise smirked.

Hermione stood up and Blaise stood too. They began to make their way slowly to the Library doors, careful not to make any noise. When the lights finally went out about ten minutes after the doors had been locked Hermione jumped and let out a little yelp causing Blaise to laugh. They made it out of the Library safely and were sneaking down the halls when Blaise tried again at small talk.

"So …" Bad start. He tried again. "Would you like to meet again tomorrow?" Blaise didn't look directly at her instead choosing to watch her from the corner of his eye.

"Oh no."

Blaise stopped dead in his tracks. No? But they had been getting on so –

"It's Mrs. Norris." Hermione's spoke in a panicked whisper just as Blaise heard a malicious meow. That damn cat!

"Run." Blaise grabbed Hermione's hand, too worried about Filch to even think about the tingles spreading up his arms from the touch of her fingers. They bolted down the Hall, turning a few corners and trying to get out of Filch's way, if only they knew where he was coming from. Filch had been twice as bitter this year and Blaise had a feeling it had something to do with Potter and Weasley making it to seventh year without any real punishments. Rumor had it Filch was determined to catch them at something, anything to get Dumbledore to let him punish them.

"Quick, in here!" Hermione said while pulling Blaise into a side door. Funny, he'd never noticed a door here before. They both crammed inside the small, cramped room. It looked almost like a broom closet with just enough space for four people.

The only sounds were the two of them breathing. Blaise was sure the coast was clear when he suddenly heard a wheezing coming from outside the door. Filch. Surely he would find them in here. Blaise's heart beat faster and he could hear Hermione as she sucked in a deep breath.

The wheezing got louder as Filch ran down the hallway, and then surprisingly got quieter as he ran right past the door. Blaise was bug eyed. He hadn't caught them.

They waited out the silence for several minutes before Hermione finally tried the door. Nothing happened. She tried it again. "Oh no, no." Hermione groaned, twisting the knob harder now.

"What is it?" Blaise stepped forward.

"It's locked."

"Locked?"

"Yes, locked from the outside. I can't seem to open it." Hermione banged her head against the wall.

"That's impossible," Blaise said, pushing her hand aside and trying the door. It didn't budge. He took out his wand and tried alohomora which did absolutely nothing. "How is this possible?"

Hermione started to mutter, her face darkening into a scowl and her frustration showing. "How could I be so stupid? I just can't believe it. I can't believe it!"

Blaise leaned back against the wall, listening to her mutter. She was angry and the nice, pleasant Hermione he had been dealing with earlier was gone. He watched her go back and forth and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. She went on for a while, causing both of them to get tense.

"Ugh! I can't believe I'm stuck in here! What in Merlin's name was I thinking, wishing for a room with a _locked_ door?!"

Blaise only shrugged, watching Hermione from beneath the fringe of his hair as she walked – no, paced – across the floor over and over. The room was small, and so she only made it three or four steps before having to turn around, but that didn't discourage her. He had no idea what she meant by wishing.

"It's not that bad," Blaise finally spoke, his words interrupting her muttering and causing Hermione to whirl around and glare at him as if this were somehow his fault.

"Not that bad? How can you possibly say that? This is horrible! We're stuck in a room the size of a bloody broom closet with no idea how to even get out! This is absolutely the worst thing that could've possibly happ-"

"Bet you wouldn't mind as much if you were in here with Weasley." Blaise's eyes narrowed, much to his annoyance, as he spat out the words. Jealous again, he was annoyed with himself.

Hermione 'harrumphed' and then snarled back at him, "Bet you wouldn't mind if you were in here with that perfect little Nicola."

Blaise shrugged again, "I don't mind being stuck in here with _you_."

Hermione had no idea what to say to that, so she only gaped up at him as he leaned against the wall, opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

Blaise's mind snapped silently, though his demeanor didn't change at all, not giving Hermione a clue as to how angry he suddenly was. "What the hell is it you girls see in Weasley anyway? What the hell has he got going for him? He's not smart. He's not talented. He's nothing!" _What does he got that I don't?_ Did he say the last part, or just think it, Blaise wondered, watching Hermione's face as she took in his words in shock.

"Ron is loyal, and a wonderful friend! He's sweet and he cares! He may not be brilliant but he tries! What I don't understand is what you two see in Nicola! She's nothing but a slutty student with an accent!"

Blaise barely moved, but with his small movement he shifted so that he was no longer leaning against the wall and it made him seem so much more intimidating to Hermione, as he now towered over her.

"I see nothing in Nicola, not since I met you," Blaise hissed, the words barely a whisper that he wasn't even sure Hermione was hearing. Her face didn't change, but her eyes widened as he slid his hands around her arms, gripping her tightly in frustration, "But I see _everything_ in you."

He kept his eyes open right until his lips met hers, and then they shifted closed. Her lips opened beneath his and he groaned, sliding his hands down her arms until he held her wrists, he pulled her closer so that she was right up against him, and then he pressed her against the wall. His neck hurt a bit, the way it was bent so low just so he could kiss her, but he wasn't about to pull away when he had finally gotten this far.

Hermione brought her hands up and lightly placed them on the front of his robes, Blaise let go of her wrists wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up so that he could relieve the pain in his neck, he brought his knee up and had her straddle it so that she could sit comfortably, her feet not touching the ground.

He licked her lips and then groaned when she opened her mouth for him. God, if he'd known all along how wonderful it was to kiss Hermione Granger he would've started a whole lot sooner.

Hermione dragged her mouth away from Blaise's, stopping their kiss. He could feel her dragging in deep breathes, trying to calm herself down, and that was the last thing he wanted. He moved his mouth down her neck, kissing her softly, urgently. Blaise moved his hands down her arms as she shut her eyes and made a whimper in the back of her throat.

"Blaise, we have to stop …" She said the words but she didn't stop and she made no move to stop him.

His gut clenched uncomfortably and he moved his mouth slowly back up her throat until he reached her ear. He whispered hotly into it, his lips moving against the lobe. "Please Hermione." He felt her body stiffen slightly, but he knew that he couldn't let her go. Just this once he needed her, than he could finally get her out of his brain. He pressed himself closer to her and said the first thing that popped into his head, "Pretend I'm someone else."

Hermione opened her eyes and looked deep into his, searching his eyes for some answer to her confusion. _What does he mean_; he could almost hear her thinking. He could feel her resistance melting as he rubbed her arms up and down, his thumbs brushing against her breasts each time. "Pretend I'm someone else," he repeated. "Anyone else. Weasley." He kissed her neck again, not wanting to see her eyes as he pleaded with her.

She sighed and he knew that she was giving in. And even though he'd said the words and asked her to do it, he wished desperately that she thought of him, only him, as they continued to kiss.


	8. Chapter Eight

Blaise's head was spinning and he couldn't drag himself out of bed. He heard his fellow housemates get up and head to the Great Hall for breakfast but he wasn't hungry. He knew some of them asked him if he was coming too, and that he replied in the negative, but for the life of him he couldn't remember who had spoken to him or what he'd said.

As he heard the last of them leave, their footsteps echoing out the door of the common room, the sound fading, Blaise opened his eyes. Without the sounds for distraction he was afraid to have his eyes closed for fear of seeing _her_. With his eyes open he could at least concentrate on the ceiling, or gaze around the room, but with closed eyes he knew he'd only be able to think about Hermione Granger and her incredibly soft lips. That was what had kept him from sleeping all last night …

When they had kissed he had been annoyed with himself and his lack of self restraint and discretion. When he had begged her to stay, begged her to imagine him as someone else he had been disgusted with himself. He was still disgusted with himself for his moment of weakness. Even worse, he was disgusted with his own jealousy that she had imagined someone else. The idea that she had though of Weasley while they kissed was so repulsive to him that it made him sick (nevermind that he had suggested it). He_ was_ sick. This was why he refused to go down to the Great Hall.

Well, that and the idea of seeing Hermione kept him locked away in his room. He wasn't ready to face her.

Last night when they had finally stopped kissing it had been her who had pulled away. He'd had her up against the wall, one of her legs wrapped around his waist, one of his hands lost in her hair and the other so high up on her thigh he could feel her heat. At first he had tried to touch her all over but by the third time she had batted his hand away he had given up. In fact, the only reason he had managed to get his hand up as high as it had been was Slytherin sneakiness and carefully edging his way up. He'd had no coherent thoughts left when she dragged her mouth away, leaving him to kiss her next. He could still hear her trying to catch her breath and feel her leg slide down his side to reach the ground. As her foot touched the floorboards he had stopped kissing her and looked at her questioningly, completely at a loss. His brain muddled.

"I need to go" was all that she had said embarrassed, pushing past him and opening the door to the Room – Filch was long gone so the lock had no longer been necessary. Blaise had just stood there after she left, trying to regain control of himself. Trying to make sense of what had happened. It didn't' work.

When he had finally gotten back to his room Blaise hadn't been able to sleep which left him where he was now. He lost control every time he was he was around her and it didn't make any sense to him. Why had she gotten so under his skin? If he had known what was going to happen he never would've enlisted her help in breaking up Nicola and Weasley. Now, because of some madness she caused he couldn't bear the idea of going through with their plan because that would only make him lose her to Weasley and he was determined not to let that happen. At least until he figured out what the hell was wrong with himself. Once he managed to get her out of his head Weasley could have her. Hell, anyone could have her.

Blaise promptly ignored the heated, gripping feeling of jealously, instead blaming the boiling in his gut on hunger. He wanted to go eat now as he sat up in his bed, running a hand through his tousled hair. Everyone would be done in the Great Hall by the time he had showered and dressed.

An hour later, his mood still sour, Blaise made his way to the Great Hall with his hands in his pockets and his eyes dark with frustration. There was barely any noise coming from the dining hall and Blaise knew he had been right to come so late; he'd be able to eat in peace.

Unfortunately, Blaise hadn't even considered that Hermione might have had the same idea as him, the same fear of confrontation.

They both spotted each other at the same time. Her eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights and they both stopped dead in their tracks. Blaise felt like he had been hit in the gut by a bludger and instantly turned around, walking back in the direction he had come from and away from the current bane of his existence.

Suddenly it struck Blaise and he stumbled a bit, realizations making him lose his train of thought. An idea so simple he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. Someone must've cast a spell on him! There was no other way to explain everything that had happened. After all, he couldn't genuinely be attracted to Hermione Granger, could he be?

* * *

Madam Pomfrey's office was completely empty which suited Blaise quite well. He didn't want to have to explain to anyone why he was here if he could avoid it. Blaise took a seat on the waiting bench, sullen and frustrated while he waited for Pomfrey to call him in. 

A spell! Blaise was pleased with himself for finally learning the cause of all this madness. Once Madam Pomfrey cured him of whatever malicious curse someone had blindsided him with he would be able to get on with his life and Granger would once again mean nothing to him. Blaise smiled, baring his teeth, a look that was almost primeval.

Blaise's thoughts were interrupted when Madam Pomfrey finally called out his name. "About time," he muttered to himself, eager to have this over and done with.

"What was that?" Pomfrey said with a disapproving glance. They walked the rest of the way, all 10 steps, in silence, Blaise suddenly feeling very nervous.

Both nurse and student sat in silence for a moment, Madam Pomfrey tapping her foot and Blaise fidgeting nervously. Who would've case a spell on him anyway? He was beginning to feel very stupid.

"Well?" Madam Pomfrey asked with impatience. "What ails you Mr. Zabini?"

"I think someone's cast a spell on me." There, he'd said it.

"You look alright. What kind of spell were you thinking?"

Blaise's face flushed and he looked away nervously casting his glance around the room. "A love spell I should think."

Madam Pomfrey's eyebrows shot up so far they nearly disappeared from her face. "A love spell?!" She exclaimed looking so amused he was sure he'd just made her day. Blaise felt even sillier. "Do describe your symptoms so I can get a proper grasp on this."

Blaise fidgeted again. "well, you know … the usual I guess. I'm acting all out of character, strange attractions … that sort of thing."

Madam Pomfrey caught on to his obvious embarrassment and was a bit more kind this time. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that I'm afraid." She was trying to act more professional now, despite the fact that this would be her greatest student anecdote since Hermione Granger had turned herself into half a cat!

Blaise shrugged in response. He was wishing he had never come up here, wishing he had a big black hole he could just crawl into.

"Well, who is the girl in question? Does she have anything against you? An unrequited crush? Perhaps someone else might have a motive,"

"She doesn't have a crush on me," Blaise muttered, sounding almost bitter.

"And the girl's name?" Pomfrey's voice was gentle, she smiled.

"Please don't make me say it." Blaise was beseeching, his face hot with embarrassment.

Madam Pomfrey smiled again as she walked over to her medicine cabinet. "Well, you've just proved you don't have any of the most common love spells," she turned around holding a small bottle. "Drink this and tell me how you feel immediately after."

Blaise eyed the potion warily before taking the bottle and downing it in one gulp, it tasted suspiciously the way roses smell. A tingling feeling went down his throat and then … nothing. "Nothing, I feel nothing."

Madam Pomfrey almost smiled but caught herself. "No love spell I'm afraid, just growing up."

Blaise's head shot up in horror. He tried grasping at straws. "Could it be Imperio? Could I be under the Imperius curse?"

This time she couldn't help it, she laughed. "That's very unlikely, Mr. Zabini."

"Is there a chance?"

"Don't you think that if you were under the Imperius curse you wouldn't have come here asking if you were cursed by it? I'm sorry Mr. Zabini but some things can only be blamed on nature. Will there be anything else?"

Blaise shook his head and slowly headed towards the door. No curse. Of course not, that would've made things easier for him. He was beyond frustrated. All he wanted now was to get Hermione out of his head. He didn't care why he liked her, and if he had a choice he'd please insanity. All that mattered was getting rid of her.

He needed zero contact. He needed her to get out of his life, no matter that he was the one who'd brought her in it. And he knew just the way to make it happen …


	9. Chapter Nine

Blaise, after seeing Madam Pomfrey had only made one stop before heading to the library and was just to grab his books. He'd decided to skive off his classes for the day as he was a man on a mission.

The time was now 7:30. He'd been in the library since 11 that morning and was really starting to feel sick. He'd had nothing to eat all day and while he did know several useful conjuring spells they only worked if you had something to conjure. Blaise leaned back at his table; he was sitting in a dark corner of the library on the exact opposite side of Granger's chair. He shut his eyes and massaged his temples, his head throbbing from the constant reading he'd been doing. Blaise had decided to finish the Arithmacy project without Hermione, this way he wouldn't have to interact with her any more than absolutely necessary. Professor Vector would make them all switch partners soon which was just as well since Blaise didn't think he'd be able to take anymore late night study sessions in the library with that particular student.

He was now almost completely finished the second booklet. Just three more questions to go. Blaise couldn't see straight he was so hungry.

Dinner was over by now, but Blaise was sure that if he went to the Great Hall he could find someone to fix something up for him – the house elves were always so obliging. He closed his books and slowly put everything into his bags, making his way out of the library in search of food. He was confident that if he looked as sick as he felt none of his teachers would say anything about his missing all his classes.

Blaise was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice the other student walking towards him, her head stuck in a book, until she full on collided into him. Her momentum, she'd obviously been in a hurry, knocked Blaise to the ground, her landing on top of his lap, knocking the breath out of him. It took Blaise a moment to clear his head, slowly letting it register in his mind that there was a girl lying on top of him. Blaise shook his head to clear his vision – he'd smacked it quite hard on the ground – and focuses on the brunette right before his eyes. Oh no.

Neither Blaise nor Hermione moved for a moment, both too stunned at their bad luck. Blaise groaned in frustration. Why him? Why couldn't he ever manage to avoid her? Why couldn't someone else have just steam rolled into him? It seemed the more he tried to avoid her the more he saw of her.

Hermione tried to push herself to her feet but in scrambling to get up she only slipped on her sleeve and landing right back down on Blaise, hitting him as hard as a bludger to the gut with her elbow. She lay still for a moment before attempting to rise again, slowly this time realizing that the faster she was the clumsier she became. Hermione stood up, leaving Blaise lying on the floor too winded and too angry to try and get up.

"Zabini?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence as she stood over him, eyeing him cautiously as he lay there on the floor as if he was a panther about to pounce.

Blaise said nothing in return, just continued to lie there trying to decide if his day could get any worse. He was startled nearly out of his skin when he felt Hermione's grip on his arm. She'd reached down to try and pull him up. Blaise didn't resist and didn't help either as she struggled to get him off the ground. Finally, with an annoyed "hrrumph" at his lack of cooperation Hermione let go of Blaise's arm causing him to fall back down, hitting his head against the stone floor once again.

"Ouch! What the hell did you that for?!" Blaise sat up, running his head and glaring angrily, all other emotions pushed aside. Anger was a good emotion to embrace when dealing with Granger.

Hermione glared right back and stood akimbo, her eyes burned. "Serves you right for being so childish! What'd you expect? Me to carry you out of the library while you flop around like fallen log?"

"Fallen logs don't flop."

"Oh you know what I meant!" She almost trembled with annoyance.

Blaise smirked as he stood, enjoying seeing her flustered and angry. He didn't bother defending himself, he had been acting childish. She blushed a little as he stood up, not longer holding the high ground while he towered over her.

They both stood their ground, glaring angrily and both acting like nothing had happened the night before. Blaise swallowed hard. Hermione broke first – Gryffindor bravery, ha! – bending down to gather her stuff. Blaise counted slowly to three before following her example, wanting to establish his willpower as being greater than hers.

It was awkward, the two of them kneeling on the floor in the entrance of the library. Blaise wanted to bolt but couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't – no, couldn't lose face in front of her again. He didn't want her to know how badly she affected him.

As she stood once more, her things back in her possession Hermione spoke. "You weren't in class today." It was a matter-of-fact statement and betrayed nothing; there was no emotion in her words.

"I know. Something I did last night made me sick." Blaise instantly regretted what he'd just said as he watched Hermione's eyes widen and then narrow. Merlin! Why had he just said that? It was as if he had ripped a page or two from Malfoy's book.

Hermione started to walk deeper into the library, calling back over her shoulder in a voice that whipped him. "You're insufferable!"

Blaise stood still for a moment, debating with himself and trying in vain to stop himself before he humiliated himself even more. It took a moment of silent battle before he gave in, spinning on his heel and following Hermione and cursing his own stupidity every step of the way.

"Granger!" he called after her, watching her back stiffen as he stalked after her. He walked faster to catch up with her, his long strides easily gaining ground on her small ones. "Come on Granger," he was exasperated and couldn't for the life of him figure out why he didn't just let her walk away.

"Oh come on!" Hermione mimicked him as she spun around to face him so suddenly he lost his balance and stumbled trying not to mow her over. "Why can't you just sod off?" Her eyes were blazing, as if she could burn him where he stood with the blink of an eye.

Blaise took a deep breathe to steel himself, wary of her. "I don't know." Blaise ran his had through his hair, too flustered at his own honesty to enjoy the look of confusion on Hermione's face. "Look … I'm sorry," he mumbled nervously.

Hermione let out a groan of frustration staring at the ceiling as if beseeching some higher power to strike him down where he stood. She turned around and continued walking without another word, as if she didn't trust herself to speak lest she curse him into oblivion.

Blaise followed after her like a lost puppy, disgusted with himself. He didn't speak again as she plotted herself down in her chair. He took the seat across from her, ignoring her withering glare. Hermione pulled out a book and tried to ignore him.

He sat on the edge of his seat, trying not to fidget like a naughty child in the headmaster's office. He wanted to bolt from the library and avoid Hermione but no matter how much his brain screamed at his legs they just wouldn't budge. He tilted his head a bit to watch her, his frown deepening as his bangs fell into his eyes. What was it about her? Sure, she was beautiful and smart, and funny when she was actually talking to him. Hell, she was even funny when she wasn't talking to him. But a lot of girls were all those things, and they were a hell of a lot more acceptable to a Zabini than Hermione Granger. He ignored the voice in his head that whispered "not like her."

Finally Hermione gave up, lowering her book and emphasizing the action with a huge sigh.

"Zabini, what do you want?"

He was startled at her sudden question and tried to think of something to say. It was embarrassing how long it was taking him to speak. "Well …"

"Well what?" She was clearly impatient.

"You never actually said no to working on the project tonight. Blaise wanted to hit himself and half wished she'd do it for him for his foolish response. He deserved a slap for his stupidity. All he could think was that he was usually much smoother.

Hermione actually laughed and the sound caused him to relax a bit. She shook her head slowly, still laughing and closed her book. "Insufferable git!" she said, but she didn't sound angry. "Bring out the books then, the sooner we get this done the better."

Blaise reached into his bag and pulled out all the Arithmacy work he had. This was common ground. As long as he didn't say or do anything to screw things up they'd be fine. Blaise ignored the voices in his head that nagged at him, reminding him that he'd spent the whole day trying to finish this project so he could be rid of her and now he was practically begging for her attention. He didn't think about his pride, or lack thereof.

After barely a minute of reading, just when he'd finally started to relax, Blaise's stomach grumbled causing Hermione to laugh so loud she had to cover her mouth. Blaise flushed as she reached into her bag pulling out some Hogsmeade treats. "Miss dinner?" She said playfully, reminding Blaise of the other night and causing her to flush even more.

He didn't take the candies right away until she practically threw the bag at him. "I'm pretty sure Hogsmeade sells the same candies to everyone despite what house you belong to. They're not poison." Her eyes gleamed with a small smile.

Blaise was sure that if his face went any redder she'd think he was having a stroke. "Thanks," he mumbled. They were silent again for a few minutes before Blaise spoke again. "Granger, I'm sorry."

Hermione didn't even look up. "Oh do shut up and get back to work."

The two sat in silence scribbling away at the work. If Hermione noticed he'd completed almost an entire booklet on his own she didn't say anything. They worked like this for about an hour and Blaise was feeling very content with her silent company before Ginny Weasley had to fly in and ruin it all.

"Hermione!" she came running up, half out of breathe as she skidded to a stop next to them. She cast Blaise a curious glance before turning her attention back to Hermione. "Hermione, you have to come with me right now! Ron's beside himself and he's-"

"What happened to Ron?" Hermione asked closing her book and leaning forward in obvious concern. Blaise's good evaporated and his eyes darkened.

"I _think_ he and Nicola broke up!"

Hermione stood up and gathered her things, rushing to console the prat. Blaise scowled as the two began to leave. Hermione turned to say something like goodbye to him but he beat her to the punch. "Better rush off to help the Weasel. No telling what he'll do." His voice dripped with ire and Hermione frowned as she walked away, hiding her confusion by eagerly asking Ginny what had happened.

Blaise leaned back in his chair completely furious. Merlin, how he hated being jealous. It made him sick. Blaise looked down at the few remaining candies that Hermione had given him before throwing tem onto her seat and leaving the library. His last thought before going to bed that night was how desperately he needed to get a grip.


End file.
